Annalee Newitz

The majority of cells in your body belong to microbes, not your own tissues. In a very real sense, you are an ecosystem more than a unified organism. And this gorgeously illustrated animation by Ben Arthur gives you an idea of what that means.

The microbes in your body help you digest your food, fight off disease, and stay healthy. But they are also independent entities, living in the many different kinds of habitats your body offers them. Arthur, in collaboration with NPR, created this short film "The Invisible Universe" to help people understand the body-as-ecosystems concept. I love how he creates these Dr. Seuss-like microbes, living in vast cities in our guts.

Because — who knows? Maybe if you lived in a gut microbiome, it would be like living in a city, or a jungle.